[ti:‘Stray’ Cat Video Game Helps Real Cats] [by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]更多听力请访问51VOA.COM [00:00.04]A new video game that includes a brave cat is popular with cat lovers. [00:06.80]Some of them are using the game to raise money for real cats. [00:12.28]The game was released last month. It is called "Stray." [00:16.77]A stray animal is one without a home. Many stray cats and dogs live on city streets. [00:26.40]Thanks to online fundraising services, gamers are playing "Stray" live for audiences [00:33.17]to raise money for animal shelters and other cat-connected organizations. [00:39.48]Annapurna Interactive, the game's creator, publicized "Stray" [00:44.96]by offering two cat rescue and adoption agencies copies of the game to give away. [00:53.08]Livestreaming game play for charity is not new. [00:56.70]But the quick popularity of "Stray" is a bit unusual. [01:01.29]It was the fourth most watched game on the day it was first shown on Twitch, [01:07.83]the video game streaming site. [01:11.56]Viewers watch as players send the game's cat [01:15.20]through a city to solve problems and escape enemies. [01:20.44]The cat in the game does all this while doing usual cat activities, [01:25.78]like scratching, jumping or hitting things off tables. [01:31.68]About 80 percent of the game's creative team [01:35.37]are "cat owners and cat lovers," the game's producers said. [01:42.16]"I certainly hope that maybe some people will be inspired [01:45.75]to help actual strays in real life," said Swann Martin-Raget. [01:51.08]He is a game producer of Stray and works at the BlueTwelve gaming studio in France. [01:59.84]Annapurna Interactive contacted the Nebraska Humane Society [02:04.75]to discuss a partnership before the game's launch on July 19. [02:10.84]The humane society jumped at the chance, [02:13.57]marketing specialist Brendan Gepson said. [02:18.36]"The whole game and the whole culture around the game, [02:21.92]it's all about a love of cats," Gepson said. [02:25.56]"It meshed really well with the shelter and our mission." [02:31.24]The shelter received four copies of the game to give away. [02:35.36]People donated $5 for a chance to win one of the games. [02:40.37]In one week, the shelter raised $7,000, Gepson said. [02:47.52]Most of the 550 donors were new to the shelter, [02:51.49]including people from Germany and Malta. [02:56.52]Jeff Legaspi is Annapurna Interactive's marketing director. [03:01.04]He said it made sense for the game's launch to do something "impactful," [03:06.76]or making a powerful influence. [03:10.08]He added that he hopes the game will "bring more awareness to adopting [03:14.64]and not shopping for a new pet." [03:18.28]The game is available on PlayStation and the Steam online game platform. [03:24.88]Steam monitor SteamDB said [03:28.24]"Stray" has been the number-one purchased game for the past two weeks. [03:33.40]Annapurna did not release sales numbers or download numbers for the game. [03:39.64]I'm Dan Novak. 更多听力请访问51VOA.COM